East meets West
by Dare-deviless
Summary: Sent on a mission to China, Alex is to fight the Triads alone. Or will he? Joining forces with another, he braves China with someone as mysterious as the Triads that roam. Alex on his seventh mission, but first with a partner.
1. MI6 no more, shooting & girl

**A/n: OK, no-one grill me as this is my first Alex Rider fanfic. I just finished reading the six books and thought that Alex was so alone. He needs some company. And thus, East meets West was born. If it turns out to be a hit, the sequels North meets South and Four points united may be published.**

**This chapter is dedicated to...Deadly Monkey with a Flame. I loved their story and seriously recommend reading.**

**Chapter 1: MI6 no more!**

Alex's POV

Walking down to Liverpool Street Station, Alex reflected. The last time he had been here, he found himself the target of a sniper paid by Scorpia. And what had MI6 done? Packed him off to do yet _another_ mission, while still recovering! He just wished he could find someway of at least getting a rest for more than a couple of weeks. Here they were, calling him in again. He shouldn't have bothered coming, he could have stayed at home.

* * *

Inside the Royal & General Bank, Mrs Jones was reading a report when William buzzed her. 

'Mr Blunt wants you up in his office, and Alex Rider is just downstairs.'

'Thanks William. I'll expect to be some time.'

She set off to the top floor where her superior worked and didn't bother knocking as she walked in. Alan, was of course, already aware she was coming. She had barely sat down for five seconds when somebody knocked, and Alex Rider slouched in. He appeared to be very disgruntled about something. Mrs Jones could probably guess what.

He flung himself into a chair and spoke two words with suppressed anger.

'Now what?' Obviously annoyed.

Alan didn't speak for a while, then passed Alex a sheet of paper. On it was a report that had come in from the Asia. They had been complaining about the sharp upswing a certain triad group had been doing. No less than 7 buildings had been attacked in the last month and around 18 people killed, with many more injured in some way, which they all took credit for. Jade snake. The most lethal and deadly triad group in all of Asia. They had methods even worse then that of Scorpia and were twice as dangerous.

Alex, took a quick glance at the sheet before putting it back down.

'No.'

Alan looked up in surprise.

'What do you mean "no"? You have barely even looked at the report.'

'I mean "no" as in, no I don't want to go, no I've had enough of this and no you can't make me.'

Alex had certainly been annoyed at us. I decided it was my turn to try.

'Alex. What you must understand is that, it is important to get a spy in Asia. Particularly China. You've heard of Triad groups? You must remember the Big Circle after dealing with Sarov and Skeleton Key. Well the point is this. We need to send you in, possibly as a exchange student. The school is one that has many children as family of the Triads. The one we are most worried about is the group, "Jade Snake", they are known for methods of death and destruction well in Asia. You are to infiltrate the school, Redstone Academy, and make friends with such people. We have their files for you to study. Now the only problem we have found is language. You speak Japanese but the main languages there are Madarin and Catoneese. You will have to learn either or, chose by the people in the files.

'You see the problem is, these kids are being trained by their parents to become Triad members. Our greatest concern is at Redstone Academy. You will go under the name of Luke Wickins, an English exchange student from Exmouth. The rest of your identity is in the files. You're plane leaves in two days. Now, why don't you visit Smithers?'

Alex couldn't believe it. He had somehow, during Mrs Jones' talk, ended up giving his consent. But hey! He gets more gadgets!

Now in Smithers' office, he saw that he was out, but had left a backpack of gadgets on the desk with a note:

_Alex,_

_Sorry i'm not here, problems in the basement with some other things. _

_List of how to use gadgets are inside bag. Uniform included._

_Smithers._

_P.S. This letter will self-destruct in 10 seconds after being picked up by bare hands. Better have read it quickly!_

No sooner had Alex finished, than it began smoking. By the time he left the room, there was nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a tall man was just getting out of a limosuine. He was very important in the Black Market Trade. After all, he was a Triad member. The limo had pulled up outside a fancy club. But it was only a cover. Underneath was a flourishing factory in crack. But he never even managed to get to the door. 

Several shots rang out in the night and many people screamed as he suddenly jerked back, before collasping into a pile. A final shot rang out. But this one had a note attached to it. There was no need to read it. Simply because an insignia was on it. A jade snake, but it was cut in three pieces. It was surrounded by black. Everyone knew that sign. If the snake had been whole, on a red background, then it would have been Jade snake's work. But that one meant something else.

_**Midnight Death** had struck again._

Up on one of the many building blocks, a figure intirely cloaked in black quickly dismantled their long-range sniper gun. They had again, done three strikes, before their note. One is done around the legs. One at the heart, or the person was wearing a bulletproof vest, the wrist or elbow, before doing one right between the eyes. It was a move that they had carried out many times before. It was a lethal, and effective method they had discovered, though many gangs had been quick to pick up on this. They sometimes addopted this manner too.

But that person didn't care. They knew they had to be off this rooftop in less than 30 seconds. Getting the gun away took 20. Now to get off. They took a running jump, and leapt off the rooftop. Just as the door behind banged open.

About 50 feet from the ground, they reached out, and grabbed part of the fire escape near to them. They could now easily jump from here, and land without breaking nothing whatsoever, or creating hardly any sound.

This time, they landed on a motorbike. The motorbike they had used to get here. The gun had been fixed so it could fit in with the bike, and not look out of place. With that, they kick-started the engine.

And Midnight Death rode off into the night.

* * *

**So, my first Alex Rider. Please tell me what you think. Am I being totally rubbish, or do I have some talent here?**

**This time, I have a little task. If you can properly be able to guess even close to who Midnight Death is, you will have Chapter 2 dedicated to you. Or if you are first to review. Or if I just feel like it.**

**Oh yeah, the chapter isn't ending here, I just did that cause I wanted to.**

* * *

Two days later, saw Alex Rider, sitting in first class, winging his way to China. He had been studying his new identity, and had to admit, he liked the sound of this person. 

Luke Wickins was fourteen, with an older brother who worked as a club bouncer, and a little sister who was still in Junior School. His mum worked as a secretary while his dad was a business man, currently in L.A.  
He was one of those boys, where he's the fit looking boys, but no one dares asks him out.**(If you don't know what I mean, then I can't help you.)**

He was going on this trip as an educational one, to compare the ways there, to the ones at home. Apparently, some others were already there. He would pretend he had been in hospital when they left so hadn't been with them.

He was currently on his new PDA. It was expected in China, and was modified to be like his Nintendo DS. The PDA's pen contained tranquillisers, while the batteries were bombs, fingerprint sensitive to his use only. If he was to go on phonebook, there would be an area called England. In there, was a fake identity in which MI6 were hiding under. But if he press the name three times in rapid succession, it would send out a signal, meaning "pull me out". The games were like his old Nintendo. **(My mind is blank on what they are again. I don't mean as in the ones in the movie. If I rememer correctly, there different. Please tell me.)**

His uniform had also been modified. The belt had an clip-on buckle with a 50 foot nylon wire wrapped behind it. The blazer that had to go on top was now fireproof complete with gas mask, his trousers likewise(apart from the gas mask).

But his favourite was the shoes. They had three modes. His trainers were the same. He had the normal mode. Then the soles became suction pads. Then he had rollerblades. The best thing about those were, the blades never wore down. Mind you, when a button on the underneath was pressed(so well hidden, you wouldn't have found it unless you knew where to look), it became a mini ripsaw.

Although he had had only two days to learn a new identity, several students he decided to target, and their langauges on top of that, he felt confident he could do well.

He put away the PDA and turned back to the files. His eye had been caught by a certain girl. But there didn't seem to be much information on her. She had been marked as a Triad child. Her father had been an important member of the Jade snake. But he had been assinated by something later revealed as Midnight Death.

She hadn't shown any signs of being a member, but was recently put on exclusion for a week, as she had set fire to the Computers Block. This had caused a large explosion, over £60,000 of equipment had been destroyed. Because this was her first major crime in school, it was lessened, and the fact their was no-one in was in there, or that they were going to scrap it and start over anyway. She just did it for them. But it was still a crime. No photo had been given to the file. In its place it said no photo could be found of her. But it didn't matter, as a description was given by the headmaster. He had been let in on it, as it was vital to recieve as much information. He had been checked of course.

The girl's name was given how the head called his students: T. Xialung.

* * *

**Anything can happen. He's on his way to China. What happens next?**

**See you on the other side.**

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	2. Briefed, Caught & Fight

**Here is the Chapter 2. not much to say as about _ZERO_ amount of people reviewed. Only three! But they have it dedicated to them.**

**icyslumber- you were first to review and i thank you for that. I know about how easy it can be to learn Chinese, but why did you assume he would learn just Madarin? After all, there is also Cantonese. I should know, I speak both.**

**keeya-no, Midnight Death is not Yassen. Though it does sound rather like him. I wonder...PS MInd getting your stories up any time soon?**

**Darkness Jinx-you wanted more, you've got more. Better satistfy your needs, because I'm aiming to have at least 5 chapters by summer hols! Should get writing(goes off to write another 3 chapters).**

**PS: if any of you wonder where I got the idea of blowing up the Computers Block in the last chapter, thank my friend who wishes to be known as Pegasus. I asked her what, in school, would she really like to blow up? **

* * *

Chapter 2 - Briefed, Caught & Fight 

"So L. Wickins, do you understand all that?" said Mr Crispin, Headmaster of Redstone Academy. His name suited his personality. He seemed punctual, and was very fussy on scrufiness. His voice was crisp and clear, and carried an authority that almost seemed to scream "No one messes with me."

Alex was now sitting in front of this man as he explained the matters of the school. He found himself very fortunate that Mr Crispin spoke English, if badly. He had a certain aura that reminded Alex of Alan Blunt. Black suit, old-looking, head of a organisation, etc.

Alex was already in his uniform, but had yet to meet the rest of the students. Having spent the last _hour_ with this man, he was very keen to leave. But he wanted to ask a couple of things.

'Yes, I do, as a matter of fact, Mr Crispin. I want to ask about some of the pupils here. I've read on the ones in the files, but are there any which I should know will be useful, or otherwise?'

Half an hour later, Alex regretted asking that question. Mr Crispin had immeadiately launched into a detailed explantation, worthy of Mrs Jones. He talked on those can prove useful, but he didn't have much to say on those to be wary of. If Alex had been anxious to leave before, it was nothing like how much he was begging for now. But there was one last question he wanted to know. Something about a certain girl.

'Mr Crispin. When I read about this T.Xialung girl, it showed that her father had just been shot. Exactly how-' Alex never got to finish.

'Well,' Mr Crispin answered, surprisingly slow,' she will no doubt be an assett if you befriend her. After all, her father had been a master in his works. She'll have picked up on a few things. Be warned about her. She may seem timid, but that is because she guards her feelings with enough rivalry to compete with that of a prison. And then the problem of that she is now an orphan can be a problem. Oh yes,(at Alex's face of surprise) she is an orphan. She once had a family. Parents. An older brother. Twin sisters. A baby brother too. And her mother was preganant with another. She lived in the Xialung Mansion, a marvelous place. Quite expensive too, I might add. Life was perfect for her. Until a few years back. The father was out. A maid of theirs entered the living room, to see the mother slumped in her chair, oozing out blood. A bullet wound was later found aimed at the womb. She and her baby had died instantly. The rest happened to be in another part of the house. Whoever killed her, started a fire. The rest of her siblings burned to death. She was found in the wreckage, having slipped into a coma. The bed she was hiding under was what stopped the flames getting to her. She was in hospital for about 3 months. Her father came to see her many times. He refused to let the doctors switch the machines off, said she was a fighter. And she was. An epic battle. But the same couldn't be said for the house. Smoking still after 2 1/2 weeks. They moved to a penthouse apartment in the middle of the city. But now she has no family. Both her mother and father were only children, and her grandparents passed away many years earlier. She now has no family whatsoever. But in the father's will, that he had changed when the fire happened, said that she can still live in the apartment, but at weekends & holidays only. The rest of the time, she is here, and the house remains locked. As this is a boarding school for those who wish to stay, or live too far away to come every day, it was no problem. You shall also be in this cateory. I believe that your room is on the top floor of the boy's dormitory. Your name should be on your room. No-one will be sharing with you. Everybody has a room to theirselves, so you should be able to make use of that.'

Alex just sat in shock. This Xialung girl had been through more than he had, including MI6. And what made it worse was that she now had no family. The last of it had been slaughtered by this Midnight Death. It reminded him all too well of Yassen's assassination of his uncle. How was she coping?

Then he remembered from her file. She was now on suspension, meaning she wasn't going to be in the school for a week, meaning that he had to find her outside of school. Why did she have to blow up the computer department? Mr Crispin's next sentence brought him back to reality.

'Of course, she is also a dangerous child.'

'What?' was the next thing out of Alex's mouth. 'Dangerous? I don't understand.'

'She is the daughter of a lead ringer of Jade Snake. Her father's body was found loaded with drugs, and on his person. And he's been doing it since before he met her mother. Very capable. Who knows what he taught his children? Although, T.Xialung has shown no signs of it, except in small matters. But her recent crime on the school has been the most shocking.'

'"Small matters"?' Alex asked shrewdly, 'like what?'

'Little things. Last year, for instance. During an Physics lesson, she used her compass to attack a boy. She stabbed him in the back. And it left a rather big mark. It punctured his skn but fortunately didn't go very deep. The compass was a blunt one too, I'm surprised she got it to go that far through. And other such incidents. Been suspended for a week. She returns to school in a few days. 3 to be exact. She is one of our prize students. Musically gifted and a sharp brain. Very capable. Talented in sport as well. We thought it be fair that she could still come to her extra-cirriculm activities after school. In the file should be a list of her commitments. But she remains friendless.'

'What's her first name?' Alex's final question was.

' Tiar. Her name is Tiar. Well A. Rider, you best be off to your room, here is a welcome pack with your keys. Oh, and be careful on how you go about your business. A boy was assassinated two days ago from this school. Murders do tend to happen when the murderer's child has been offended.'

* * *

On the other side of the room, the unseen camera had been videoing it all. Everything that had just been said was now being sent to a user on a PC. And the person had watch every action and heard every word. Their eyes harden as the fat porker of a head blabbed. He was so not getting away with this. 

They closed down the link on the head's office and opened up a new one. This showed a sandy, fair-haired boy, making his way to the boy's dormitory. The head had called him L.Wickins. But then had called him A.Rider. Obviously he was like the last two "subs" that had been brought in from England. Undercover spy. But a 14-year-old? Crazy, but could prove useful. But those had been dealt with, this one should be a snap. He was about 5ft 7in, and looked fit. But that meant nothing to them. What did matter, was that this boy now knew far too much. They weren't going to allow him to do a Crispin and tell everyone what he heard.

Closing down that link, they picked up their PDA. The next few seconds passed in a blur, but they had hacked into the head's computer. They knew that whenever the head had had a conversation with a student, he would spend about 5 minutes making himself a coffee.

Finding what they needed, they downloaded it and erased any sign they had been there.

* * *

Alex was struggling to find his class. But the school was like a maze. One with too many dead ends.He had already found his locker(fortunately) but it looked he had as much chance of finding it right now, as he had convincing MI6 to let him out. He was so busy trying to find it, that he didn't notice a student, until they crashed into him. 

'I'm sorry, didn't notice you. Please try next time to watch it' came a girl's voice. Oddly, she sounded rather haughty and extremely snobby.

Alex got a massive whiff of some expensive perfume that made his eyes water. She was wearing make-up, but didn't seem to know exactly how to put it on. She looked like a clown's face after they began rubbing the face paint off. Not a pretty sight.

'Will you just stop acting like a rich, fat snob every two seconds, Dylore? It's making me want to throw up!' called a voice from the other end of the corridor.

The girl, Dylore, turned, and Alex nearly fainted at the size of her skirt at the back. A couple more centimeters, and say hello to her knickers!

The person at the other end came charging up the corridor. A second look revealed it to be another girl. She had sleek black hair thrown crudely into a ponytail. Her eyes were what made her really stand out.

Everyone else's eyes were either brown, green, blue or hazel. Her's were a strange twist of dark, almost black, with little spots of a sea-blue sprinkled in. But right now, they were blasting nothing but hatred as she rained down on Dylore.

'I don't know what your problem is Dylore, but I have had just about enough. Waltzing up corridors. Adding more make-up to your body. Basically, being a SLUT!'

Alex just had a need to but in.

'Not to mention that her clothes are impossibly small, and don't cover anything.'

The girl eyes, quickly glanced at him. He saw her eyes widen slightly. Then she was back at her yelling match with Dylore.

'See? Even the new kid agrees with me. You are the biggest, fattest, thickest, ugliest person ever to walk this earth.'

'Oh yeah? I don't think so. If you actually think that, take a good look in the mirror, 'cause all i see is a girl so ugly that no boy will ever dream of asking her out'

'What? Since when did hankering after boys mean you were better than everyone? Try this as a perfectly good reason why I don't bother with getting boy's attention. I'M NOT INTRESTED IN DATING RIGHT NOW! I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO, THAN ACTING LIKE SOME LOVESICK PUPPY!'

'Like what? Playing your stupid intruments, Tiar?'

'Just because you can't play any, Dylore, does not mean they are STUPID. You, on the other hand, are stupid.'

Alex went into shock. Was this the girl he had been wondering about? She fitted the bill about musical talent. And the name, hair, height, etc.

Everyone else had so far been backing slowly off from this. It looked like a very frequent occurence. But nobody was doing anything to stop it.

'I'm not stupid. I'm not the orphan around here.'

Her words had cut deep. The students in the corridor looked as though they knew Dylore was in danger. Alex could have sworn he saw a flicker of something... inhumane. The next thing Tiar did defintely proved it.

No-one could quite tell exactly what happened, but Tiar had somehow launched herself on Dylore, and had literally began tearing her apart. Dylore had managed to get a few hits back, but Tiar was obviously kicking her ass.

It all stopped when Tiar had, for no particular reason, raised her head, then charged down the corridor. She then turned right, towards the Sporting Area. The cause was revealed, when a prefect of the school, suddenly jumped out onto the corridor, as if they knew troublemakers lurked here. They immeadiately spotted Dylore on the floor, with clothing torn, and without hesitation, picked up Dylore by the scruff of her blazer, and marched her down the hall. Alex wondered why no-one spoke up. But he overheard one boy say to a girl**.(In Madarin)**

'If Xialung's father was still alive, he would have had that non-tron killed'

_Non-tron._ The school slang for someone who is, or has parents, against Triads. They all knew it was better to keep their mouths shut. Particularly as Tiar's father had been at the heart of criminal activity.

* * *

After school, Alex found he was allowed to stay in school, and use facilities there, or go out into town. He opted for the latter, and for two reasons: 1) He was dying to get out of the school 2) Tiar Xialung was supposed to be at the cinema, watching some film called: _Kill or be killed._

Why she was watching it was beyond Alex, but it was an excuse to maybe start a friendship. After seeing what happened in school, he was sure that she must have been trained by the Triads.

_The same way I was trained by my uncle._ Alex caught himself thinking.

He was brought out of these thoughts when he saw Tiar suddenly go whizzing past him. He knew it was her, didn't know how, but I closer look revealed that she was on rollerblades. Unusual. But he also had some. Quickly grabbing the heel of his shoes, Alex when into rollerblade, and spy, mode. Before starting a chase after Tiar through the city.

* * *

**So Chapter 2, what do you think? Well, I'm hardly going to find out unless you review! Get doing it, I've got contacts everywhere watching you. (bursts into silent giggles at those jumping, looking for so-called people.)**

**I don't care if all you want to do if burn me, just review! OK, now onto the story:**

**OH NO! Alex's identity has already been discovered! Not good! Who was it that found out? Guess in your review (hint hint nudge nudge wink wink cough cough).**

**and what you think of the argument between Dylore and Tiar? Good? Bad? Room for improvement? Let me know:)**

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